Connectivity projects must respect sovereignty issues, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said, in a reference to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), at a virtual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of Government hosted by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday. Jaishankar pitched for more trade through Iran’s …

For a rape survivor, trauma comes in repeat doses. First, there is the gruesome act and then follows the difficult task of reporting the assault. For years, an impediment to coming forward about a sexual offence has been the finger test a survivor is subjected to — a gross violation …

In the fight against air pollution in the Indo-Gangetic Plain, there are several important protagonists, none more so than India’s frontline environmental regulators, the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs), and the Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) in the Union Territories. Their primary role is to regulate emissions from point sources such …

As the COVID-19 pandemic fades and hopes rise for nations and societies to return to some kind of normalcy, there is effort all around to take stock of where we stand and what our prospects look like. It is in this spirit that I want to look back over the …

An invasive species, Senna spectabilis, an exotic tree, has taken over between 800 hectares and 1,200 hectares of the buffer zones of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) in the picturesque Nilgiris hill district. The Forest Department is coming up with a comprehensive strategy to tackle the invasive species, which continues …

The National Health Authority (NHA) organised a workshop in Bengaluru on 28th October 2022 with stakeholders such as State Mission Directors, IRDAI, WHO, health industry leaders, health-tech companies, development organizations, partner NGOs etc. To brainstorm on the steps required to enable rapid adoption of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) across the …

Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilizers Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, will inaugurate the India Chem 2022 on 2nd November 2022 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi with the theme “Vision 2030: Chemicals and Petrochemicals Build India”. India Chem 2022 will showcase the Government’s policy for sustainable growth in the sector and provide …

The first pilot for the digital rupee, wholesale segment (e₹-W) will commence on November 1, the Reserve Bank of India said. “The use case for this pilot is settlement of secondary market transactions in government securities,” the RBI said. “Use of e₹-W is expected to make the inter-bank market more …

An internal study commissioned by the Ministry of Rural Development has argued for decentralisation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), allowing for more “flexibility” at the ground level. The Ministry recently made public the report of the sixth Common Review Mission, which surveyed seven States — …

The Supreme Court on Monday decided to examine a petition challenging a provision in the election law that imposes a blanket ban on undertrials, persons confined in civil prisons and convicts serving their sentence in jails from casting their votes. A Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) U.U. …